Adjusting to the Dark
by Microraptor Glider
Summary: After recovering from an attack, Kaiba attempts to return to work. The problem: it was a vampire attack, and he didn't recover so much as turn. Meanwhile, demons lurk ready to strike and take Kaiba Corp at the first sign of weakness. A transmasc, mentally ill, vampire (in denial) Kaiba fic.
1. The Attack

Originally posted to tumblr and AO3, now getting around to post it here. I'll probably space the uploading of the chapters out here but feel free to check out the rest of the story (still in progress) at Microraptor_Glider on AO3 or techno-sorcerer on tumblr (also on tumblr, I have the fic along with other ramblings, art, playlists, ect. under the tag #fic:-adjusting-to-the-dark

 **Chapter Summary** : Seto Kaiba survives an unnerving attack and makes a painful recovery.

 **Chapter content warnings** : death (major characters undead, side character death), supernatural torture, implied violence, mention of hallucinations, mentions of child abuse.

* * *

Seto Kaiba was walking up to Kaiba Corp Tower's large glass doors when something knocked the wind out of his lungs, pushing him backwards. Suddenly, he found himself in an alleyway, one next to the Tower if the towering glass wall to his right meant anything. Or for that matter, if the laws of physics meant anything. However, it was night, and his eyes were slow to adjust. He staggered and leaned against the wall, his heartbeat racing.

Something must have brought him here. Kaiba's eyes darted from shadow to shadow. His voice caught for a moment before he yelled, "Show yourself."

One of the shadows moved, and a figure came into view. As Kaiba's eyes focused, he noticed it was a man, or rather a boy his own age. The boy was short with hair sculpted into spikes like the Mutou kid, but unlike the Mutou kid, his skin was a warm brown and his bangs seemed to defy gravity, flying out towards the center of each spike. The boy's nostrils flared, and then he shook his head. "I'm sorry for what I have to do, but you are clearly tainted. You reek of demon."

"What?" Kaiba croaked, still somehow managing to include some disdain in his voice. "If you are talking about the White Dragon Necklace, I won that fair and square."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace in question. Rows of pearls spun over his fingertips upon which dangled a sapphire the size of a peach pit. Between the sapphire and the pearls sat a miniature silver dragon curled around the gem as if it were its hoard. He knew his obsession with dragons was childish, but he couldn't resist.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Anything that requires kidnapping an old man and sending him to the hospital is not won fair, especially considering you already had a dragon to sic on him."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. He did have the rest of the collection, three other identical necklaces that had cost a fortune to acquire, but the dragons were made of silver. He certainly couldn't and didn't sic them on anyone. Perhaps the boy was referring to his head of security Kisara and her team who had aided in the acquisition. She was fierce and had probably toyed with both the old man and the necklace, but she could hardly be called a dragon. In either case, Kaiba hated when people spoke in riddles. "So, what are you here for? To get it back? I can call Kisara to take care of you as well."

"That was a part of the plan," the boy smirked, quickly grabbing the other end of the necklace and pulling it just short of taught.

It was a challenge, and Kaiba could not turn down a challenge. He moved his own hand gently from side to side, carefully watching the boy mirror his actions. He then pushed his hand forward to loosen the string, and moved his left hand to unfurl the boy's finger's and release the necklace. Yet, before his hand could reach the boy's, it stopped. Without Kaiba seeing him move, the boy had grabbed his left hand, and he felt the boy's fingers press down with a cold iron grip. Kaiba's eyes widened, and for a moment he forgot to breathe. How… ?

The boy continued to smirk.

Kaiba tried to move his hand, but he couldn't budge the boy's grip. Instead it felt like he was pushing against a statue. When he tried to pull back, the boy's fingers pressed down harder, locking his hand in place. Red welts appeared on Kaiba's skin beneath the boy's fingertips. The boy's smirk intensified. Kaiba grit his teeth and tried not to flinch at the pain.

The boy was toying with him, and it burned. A memory of Gozaburo towering above him flashed through Kaiba's mind, and he panicked. Pulling the necklace back, he felt the string go taught before breaking. Pearls cascaded to the ground, before bouncing and rolling away. Staring at the now exposed old cotton strings, Kaiba rolled then under his fingers one last time before letting them too fall to the ground.

The boy blinked and then frowned. "I suppose we go to the other part of the plan."

"Or you go home before I call security. The necklace is gone. Neither of us can have it now." Kaiba's free hand slid into his pocket fumbling for his phone.

However, as he pulled it out of his pocket, the boy released his left hand only to swat the phone down and pin him against the concrete wall across from Kaiba Corp. "Unfortunately, you are tainted to the point where I doubt a priest or hunter could cleanse you, and even if you weren't, your actions reveal you. You are filth." The boy dragged Kaiba down the wall so that their eyes were level. The concrete's bumps and crannies dug into his back and burned. The boy's eyes almost seemed to glow with a pale light."If it is any consolation, my partner would not approve. I hope the darkness eats your taint and frees you before you die."

Kaiba's eyes widened, and despite knowing its futility he pushed at the hands that locked his shoulders in place. He clawed at the boy's exposed arms and kicked at the boy's legs to no avail. He even, for a moment, screamed until he felt two sharp pricks in his neck and then numbness.

He tried to dig his fingernails into the boy's skin, but his fingers felt weak and lethargic. They barely moved and slid across the boy's skin before they stopped and fell. His feet skid across the ground a few times before they went limp. A few gasps of air wheezed out of his lungs, his tongue unable to form words. Finally rainbow patterns tinged with darkness wove across his vision, while his ears went hot with dizziness. All sensations became vague and blurred like he was miles away from his own body.

Then, the last light left his vision, and he fell to darkness.

* * *

An eternity seemed to pass, and then Kaiba saw white in all directions. He blinked, twitched his toes, and shook his head, but everything felt off, like he was existing slightly to the left of reality. He moved his feet again and noticed that he wasn't encountering any resistance. He bobbed in place. A squeak escaped his lips, and he started to flail. It took a moment to steady himself, and by the time he did, he was panting. What the fuck was going on? He stared downward into nothing, eyes struggling to focus without anything to focus on. Slowly his breathing returned to normal. Perhaps none of this was real anyways.

Looking back up, Kaiba began to notice a few details. First, a thin grey line started to form a horizon with wisps flying outward in both directions. Kaiba wasn't sure whether it had been there before, but regardless he was grateful for its steadying influence. Second, a soft red glow emanated from behind him.

At first, the glow as disconcerting but curiosity got the better of Kaiba, and he began to twist his body to get a better view. Unfortunately, without anything to push against, he didn't turn so much as slightly swivel in place. Glaring at the horizon, Kaiba pouted. Wherever he was, it was annoying. He concentrated on the horizon and willed himself to move, but before he had a chance to twist, he began to move, spinning on his axis. He startled and suddenly stopped, _before_ concentrating and turning again.

He immediately regretted it.

In front of him stood a gigantic garnet bust of Gozaburo. It stood nearly eight feet tall with deeply carved eyes staring down at Seto. In addition to the glow the stone's marbled pattern seemed to shift as if it was the shadows cast by a fire, and Seto thought he smelled a whiff of smoke. However, there was no fire to be seen, and the only light here was the omnipresent fluorescent glow. But, the most troubling aspect of the bust was how it wasn't quite human. It certainly had Gozaburo's face and his condescending sneer, but there were also a pair of rams horns that curled from the edges of Gozaburo's forehead and wrapped around his ears. The parting of his lips revealed rows of sharpened teeth.

Seto felt his heart pound against his chest. He tried to remind himself that _he_ was Kaiba now, but in front of Gozaburo it never felt true. After seeing that face, even with the man driven out and dead, it seemed like he was one transgression away from being sent to the orphanage and one misstep away from a long night of studying with no breaks and no dinner.

Seto willed himself away from the statue, cursing how slow his body drifted. The horizon was now a thick black stripe. It roiled and churned with a physical presence like a sandstorm made of charcoal and smoke. But, anywhere was better than here.

The bust glowed brighter for a moment and then a strand of garish red lashed out at Seto's ankle. He pulled his leg towards his body and watched the strand pass beneath him, but soon other strands emerged from the statue and whipped towards him. He dodged one then two, yet eventually one wrapped around his torso and started pulling him forward. The outside of the swath was featureless, but it felt sinewy and writhed against his skin like a giant dry tongue. Grabbing and tugging on it jostled it and Seto around, but the efforts did little to detach himself or stop it from pulling him closer to the statue.

Seto barely saw the black clouds approaching or the light dim as he fought with the red swath. He pulled and tugged. He dug his fingernails into it and attempted to pry it off. He pounded against it and wedged his fingers between himself and it. None of it prevailed, and the statue held him 4 feet away from its taunting eyes.

But the clouds eventually came and fortunately they hit the bust first since at that moment embers flew up into the cloud quickly disappearing within it. The bust's glow flickered for a few seconds and then extinguished. The swath writhed tossing Seto about before finally letting go. He didn't have much time to react before the cloud completely overtook the statue leaving nothing more than a few bursts of light.

The black cloud continued rolling forward.

Kaiba glanced around, looking for a way out, but the only light was coming from above and below. The edges of the clouds formed a long thin tunnel in both directions With the cloud closing in, Kaiba decided to fuck it- he was floating anyway- and willed himself up. But, he moved painfully slow till and the dark cloud quickly consumed him.

The black cloud tossed him around like a rag doll and pelted him, though Kaiba could not see with what. It was confusing, and everything hurt.

Fortunately, not being able see anything and, in particular, being free of Gozaburo's statue helped him clear his mind. This was nonsense. Everything that had happened since he got here was utter bullshit. There was even a chance that this was another hallucination, though most of his had only had auditory and visual symptoms. Seeing himself melting had been incredibly off-putting, but he didn't remember the experience being this physically painful. Still, Kaiba considered, a strange boy had just beat him up in an alleyway; some physical pain was probably par for course.

Moreover, if he was hallucinating, there was still reality out there waiting for him. There was still Mokuba waiting for him to get home from work. Mokuba who was going to enter the fifth grade and insisted on going to public school rather than just having a private tutor because he wanted to be with the other kids. Mokuba who helped manage the company despite not having undergone his first growth spurt. Mokuba who still smiled and wanted his big brother to smile.

And, if it wasn't a hallucination, well, there wasn't anything more he could do than try to make it through this.

The pounding increased as time went on until the smoke did something it shouldn't be able to do: it tightened around his throat. His already labored breathing became wheezes, and his fingers immediately went to his throat trying to find whatever was choking him. The smoke was thicker there but there was nothing to hold onto. He reminded himself that there was nothing there. This was not happening. He could still breathe.

He hated these exercises, but what choice did he have. He focused. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Deep breath in. One Two. Three. Four. Five. Deep breath out. One. Two…

Eventually the smoke gave up trying to strangle him, and then everything felt like it was on fire. The smoke burned against his skin and lungs, even though there was still not a speck of light to be seen. Still, Kaiba couldn't hold back the scream that erupted from his throat. His mind was consumed by the pain, but a small part of him was glad to have some proof that he hadn't actually been choking. That hardened his resolve to push forward. He thought of Mokuba.

When Kaiba managed to make it through that, the smoke felt like liquid sloshing all around him. Instead of pushing against his throat, it slid down into his lungs. Instead of fighting to breathe, his body became convinced that each breath was killing him. But, it wasn't happening, he reminded himself. It couldn't be happening. Somehow he kept breathing.

After a while, everything stopped. He floated in peaceful darkness, waiting for the hallucination to part. While he waited a whisper came, or rather words came without a voice, "Your soul is strong."

Kaiba tried to laugh, but it exited his lips as a deflated sigh.

"We tried but cannot consume you. Still, we took your life; it is ours. You shall consume for us."

Suddenly, the world shifted and changed. It was still dark, but his other senses were tumbled upside down.

First, Kaiba noticed the smell. The previous place, which Kaiba was already discounting as a particularly vivid dream, was odorless except for the brief period of burning that smelled of ashes and cinders. Now, he smelled rotting food, piss, sour milk and molds. Even the most pleasant overtones of coffee and tea did little to help the unholy bouquet unfurling in his mouth and nose and sitting at the bottom of his lungs. The intensity was overwhelming, assaulting his senses like nothing he'd ever experienced. He breathed out, pushing the air out his lungs and hoping that, by the time he had to breathe in, the stench would be gone. It didn't stop the smell entirely but it would have to do for now.

In addition to the smell, a shallow pool of liquid soaked the side of hair and the front of his shirt, and some had even leaked in through his previously parted lips. He sputtered, attempting unsuccessfully to spit out every trace of the liquid and then sealing his mouth against anymore entering.

Having provided himself that relief, Kaiba noticed he was no longer floating but rather was laying belly down on a cool metal surface with his head twisted to the side uncomfortably. Weight pushed down on him unevenly. In some places, the pressure was focused and sharp such as the line weight that went down his back before stopping at a point that dug into his spine. Other places were simultaneously heavy and soft. Whatever was covering his face stuck to his cheek and molded to his head's crevices, yet pushed him down almost pinning him against the wet ground.

Kaiba curled his fingers around the pressure on his right hand hoping to move it out of the way. Immediately noticed it was a plastic bag by the way the film stuck to his skin and tugged when he pulled on it. When he tried to lift the bag, it buckled against the things above and around it. He was able to push it up half a foot before the bag ripped, releasing another wave of noxious fumes.

Kaiba dropped the bag and gagged, expecting himself to barf but finding himself unable. He continued to hope that he wouldn't have to breathe in.

There was no choice but to lie there and wait. He let his mind drift to the city sounds around him. They were understandably muffled but also louder than usual. He heard the thrum of car engines and the occasional screech of tires. Somewhere far down the street construction was underway. The breeze funneling through the streets gave a low whistle he'd never stopped long enough to hear before. There were footsteps and distant overlapping conversations, though the muffling meant that he couldn't pick distinguish any words. And, underneath it all were quiet but hypnotizing iterations of _tu-tup._

A hunger began to crawl at the back of his mind. No. Not hunger. He didn't want to eat. Whether it was the stench around him or something else, the thought of eating anything from a common burger to his favorite beef fillet sounded.. disgusting.

Yet, the occasional _tu-tup_ immediately lured him and intensified his hunger. He salivated, and something twitched in his upper jaw. He wanted to run towards whatever was making that noise and bite into it, rip into it. He wanted to hear it, but he also wanted to it to stop- to be the one who stopped it. The compulsion was so strong that he tried to stand up, but, again, shifting the bags released more foul odors that pinned him in place.

Kaiba was trapped and terrified. The pitch black sensory hell was bad enough, but now he had the hunger raking across his thoughts, giving him violent desires he didn't understand. Why would he react so strongly to such a small simple sound? A need rang through his body to get up, go, grab the noise. I can't, he tried reminded himself, but the need persisted. The only thought that placated it was the idea that he waiting, biding his time. And, with that, his consciousness drifted away, leaving his body limp.

He still hadn't breathed in.

* * *

The next time he came to, he had an amazing taste in his mouth. Sweet and rich but slightly metallic. he swallowed and savored it. His tongue instinctually licked his lips, trying to find more. Moreover, he felt relaxed, and he could finally think straight. The hunger was gone or at least sated. Something in his mouth pulled back.

That's when Kaiba started processing the situation around him. He was no longer pinned against the ground, but was in fact standing. The smell was strong but not nearly as overwhelming. The sounds were crisper, including a blaring incessant beep. A pulsing light illuminated the scene, and Kaiba's eyes drifted towards a pale corpse in a bright green vest slouched against the wall in front of him.

Kaiba tried to scream, but without any air in his lungs, the noise caught in his throat.

* * *

 **Author's note** : tried to follow Kaiba's perspective partly to emphasize how weird and confusing this was for him. Hopefully, you were able to pick up on some things he didn't, and if not hopefully things will become more apparent as the story moves forward. I did realize towards the end that I could have used a soul room for the white space sequence, but I loved the visuals of this and it was already written.

Also, at this point, Atem is very much like season 0 Yami, passing often disproportionate judgments based on the bad behavior of other people without knowing fully what's going on. Also like Yami, he will be growing as things go on. He won't be appearing for a little while, but this isn't the last I plan on having him appear either.


	2. Waking Up

**Chapter Summary** : Kaiba attempts to rationalize and deal with the situation in front of him. Unfortunately, he comes to some wrong conclusions. As his plan to get home veers off course, a helpful- if ominous- stranger appears.

 **Chapter Content Warnings:** Graphic descriptions of gore and death at the start, general discussions of death throughout, referenced canonical suicide (Gozaburo's)

Responses to guest reveiws at end of chapter

* * *

Kaiba stared at the corpse in front of him and took a step backwards. His lip trembled and his hand shook at the scene.

The corpse looked outward with its head rolled to the side revealing a tight ring of red on the neck and two pairs of holes in its center. Its legs folded unnaturally as if somebody had picked up a doll and dropped it, and Kaiba realized a moment later that the analogy might be apt. Around the corpse was a small puddle of piss, the man's bladder finally giving up just before death. A hiss of air escaped the corpse's lips, but Kaiba heard no breathing after that. It was probably just gas leaving the corpse. Kaiba leaned forward and poked the body, hoping his senses were lying. It was warm, but it didn't respond at all. It was actually dead.

Tearing his eyes away, Kaiba hoped to find something to explain the situation, but instead there was another two bodies tossed to the side and a garbage truck idling behind him. A dumpster stood beside him with its lid open and horrendous smells wafting out. A trash bag lay scattered next to one of the other bodies.

What had happened here? What even had the power to do this?

The only thought that came to mind that wasn't straight out of a myth was the boy who attacked him. While Kaiba didn't pretend that he was particularly strong, he wasn't weak either, yet trying to move the boy had been like fighting with a statue. Glancing at the holes on the corpse's neck, he remembered feeling pinpricks on his own neck after the boy had pushed him up against the wall, and how his body had lost all of its energy afterwards. The memory of the pain moved his hand, and he found his fingers sliding over his own neck. A shiver went down Kaiba's spine.

However, he didn't feel any holes.

He remembered the pain. There should be something. Maybe it was shallow? He pushed his fingers harder across his skin, hoping to find anything to support the memory. Even a slight throb would do.

There was nothing.

He stared at the deep holes on corpse's neck, and practically pinched his own neck in frustration. What was going on?

Kaiba then glanced at his left hand. He had seen red welts appear across the back of his hand when the boy had squeezed it, but now it looked pristine if a bit pale. He opened and closed it as if to confirm that it was real, that it was his. It was.

Maybe the memory was fake? No. He wouldn't voluntarily go near a pile of garbage, let alone lay under one. Something had to have at least incapacitated him and probably knocked him out. Maybe the memory was exaggerated?

As if the scene in front of him wasn't. Why was he alive while these people were slaughtered? If the boy had qualms with anyone, it was him.

Kaiba stared at the body in front of him for a while before he shook his head. This was spinning his brain in circles and not accomplishing anything. He closed his eyes and blocked out the dizzying questions surrounding how he got here. He needed to focus on what he was going to do next. As his first priority, he had to get back to Kaiba Corp and from there home to Mokuba. Mostly he wanted to see Mokuba. There was no particular reason for it. His brother was probably just as healthy, happy, and safe as he had been when he went to school that morning, and his brother would have no idea of what he just went through. But, it was Mokuba that kept his will strong during the vivid nightmare, and it was Mokuba that he needed to see. Everything else would be planned around that.

So, he probably wouldn't spend much time at the corporate headquarters. His original reason for going to the office was to read some productivity and labor reports, and he could just as easily bring them home with him. He supposed cleaning himself up in the bathroom would also be reasonable, since he wouldn't want his brother seeing him in this sorry state. He would also need to change into spare clothes to replace his current outfit, which was both waterlogged and stained. The less reason his brother had to worry the better.

Having established the best way to get home to Mokuba both quickly and presentably, Kaiba realized that he would have to report the murder. He frowned; he wasn't sure how long that would take.

However, it did need to get done. Not only would waiting too long be suspicious, but the victims deserved it. They had done nothing wrong. Hell, they had been doing their jobs when they were attacked. Jobs he would have previously dismissed as unimportant and trivial but somebody had to do them, and now somebody was dead for it.

Kaiba opened his eyes and glanced around for hints to his location. Now that he wasn't panicking over the gore, he could see that he was in the lowest basement level of a parking garage. There were no cars except the still running garbage truck, though Kaiba mused it was making enough noise for the whole garage. It practically made his ears ring. However, the only way out was past the offending sound, so he started his march out, stepping over a scattering of broken glass by the open driver's door.

The garage was probably the one behind the Kaiba Corp Tower, since Kaiba doubted his attacker would try to drag his body very far. Or, at least he hoped he wouldn't have to walk far in the open with everyone able to see- and smell- that he had just taken a trash bath.

He left the worst of the stench behind him as he ascended the ramp, so he pushed some gunk off his face and ventured a shallow breath in. He still stunk of course; it would take a change of clothes and several showers to get the last traces of garbage off his skin. But, he also smelled other things. The asphalt. Leftover gasoline fumes. Even a faint trace of body odor from the long gone visitors. Other than the garbage people, there probably hadn't been anybody here for the past hour, not even people working a late shift. While it was nice to finally smell something other than rot, a part of Kaiba worried about how quickly he accepted the information. He knew that simply sniffing shouldn't have told him that, but he couldn't convince himself otherwise.

Not too long after starting to walk, Kaiba reached an alcove with an elevator, and he practically melted with relief upon seeing the Kaiba Corp Tower lobby listed on the directory. He jammed the up button several times before finally ascending to the first floor.

Despite having walked through the floor many times on the way to his office, everything was new. Familiar details from the gurgle of the fountain to the pulse of the fluorescent lights felt more intense, but new details also emerged. He had never before gotten a whiff of the cleaning solution from the floor, nor had he ever noticed the air vents particular hiss. He hadn't heard the particular squeak of rubber-soled shoes, probably belonging to a security guard, against the tile floor, nor had he heard the slight hush of the guard breathing. Finally, he certainly had never heard soft thumping _tu_ _h_ _-t_ _h_ _u_ _b_ followed the security guard's footsteps.

Blinking, Kaiba recognized it as a fuller, fleshier version of the sound which had captivated him while he was in the dumpster. Without the hunger gnawing at his nerves, no urgent need welled up inside him, but it was still alluring. He kept listening as he walked towards the company elevator that would carry him to his office.

The elevator dinged to acknowledge his request. The footsteps turned towards his direction, and then the rhythmic _tuh-thub_ quickened. "Hey! Are you supposed to be here?"

Kaiba turned towards the guard, a buff man staring at him with wide eyes. A quick flare of Kaiba's nostrils revealed the man to be healthy, albeit a bit nervous, and unsure of exactly why it seemed relevant, he tucked the information away for later. Moreover, Kaiba's eyes locked onto the source of the thumping- or at least what his ears claimed was the source- inside the man's chest. But, it was impossible. To think that he could actually be hearing… _that_ was ridiculous. To even entertain the notion…

"Answer the question."

Kaiba refocused his attention and forced himself to fill his lungs with air. "Of course I'm supposed to be here; I own the building. Now, let me get to my office."

It was almost amusing to watch the realization dawn on the guard's face, but instead of turning away the man reached for the walkie talkie on his vest. "I have somebody claiming to be Seto Kaiba. It might actually be him, but I'd like somebody from the office to come down and confirm. He seems a bit worse for wear."

"Is it really that hard to believe it's me?"

The man gave a small laugh. "Looking like that? A little. But, I mostly don't want to declare you found without checking in. I haven't been here long enough to make that kind of call."

Found? The word gave Kaiba a pause. Slowly words fell out of his mouth. "How long was I gone?"

The thumping quickened again, and the man shifted his weight. It was always hard for employees to deliver bad news. "You were officially declared missing three days ago."

Kaiba felt the floor drop out from under him. Three days. At least, to give them time to officially declare it. So, make it four. Mokuba had been waiting for four days, unsure of when or if he would come home. Isono was there of course, which helped things marginally, but it didn't mean that Mokuba wouldn't worry. It certainly didn't mean he was safe. What if somebody tried to take advantage of the situation? What if the police had given up on him and insisted that Mokuba go back to the orphanage? There was only so much Isono could do, especially because their agreement only went so far.

The agreement was, of course, that Isono was technically Kaiba's and Mokuba's legal guardian. After he had taken the company from Gozaburo and after his adopted father's suicide, the government had decided that Kaiba needed someone to look after him. Kaiba disagreed; he'd seen what could happen if he gave someone that much power over him, and he had just barely gotten out of that situation. There was no way he'd submit himself like that again. Plus, even if- and Kaiba considered this a big if- the person involved didn't abuse their position, Kaiba also knew parents were unreliable; he had already walked three of them to the grave. The first time, his relatives for whatever good they were had taken everything and left him to the orphanage.

There was also the issue of company bylaws. Gozaburo Kaiba was a man obsessed with legacy, and since Kaiba Corp was the pinnacle of that legacy, it was one he had kept close his chest with plans to do so even in death. At the company's founding back when Gozaburo had still been young, he had inserted into the corporation's founding document that CEO must themselves be a Kaiba. While this had been partly a way to secure his position in life, Seto Kaiba knew very well the man's obsession with finding a perfect heir of his choosing, one that could act as his proxy come death. The man's quest had dominated five years of Seto's life.

So, adoption was not an option. It would break the legal ties that bound him to Gozaburo and more importantly Gozaburo's name. Perhaps in good times, it could have been argued that with the inheritance already won the ties no longer mattered, but times were never good. There was always someone ready to argue the other case.

Unfortunately, he had at the time only been just shy of fifteen, and adoption or not, the state demanded a legal guardian. Chikuzen Oza, the scheming lawyer of the Big Five, would have had some difficulty arguing against the government to let him stay parentless. To achieve that and allow him to continue to protect his brother Mokuba would have been impossible. Trusting Chikuzen to not attempt to take the heir to Kaiba Corp for himself? Now that was laughable. Chikuzen, however, was no Gozaburo, and alerting the other four businessmen was enough for their mutual distrust to take care of the rest.

So, the honor had to go to someone and most importantly someone Kaiba trusted. Someone close enough that the government would accept the thin charade, but that wouldn't attempt to use or, even more broadly, control him. That narrowed the list of candidates down to two: Kisara and Isono. Kisara was herself a tempting option, but while there was a chance that either of them would attempt to actually parent him, at least with Isono, a healthy dose of professional fear would ward him off. While Kisara seemed to fear many things as a head of security must, Kaiba knew better to think that he would ever be one of them.

But, because Isono respected the agreement, Isono's guardianship was only a technicality and a flimsy one at that. It had given his lawyers enough to work with, but an extended disappearance and increased scrutiny could upset that balance. For that matter, getting sent to the orphanage- despite being Kaiba's greatest fear for five years- was the least of the worries now. Mokuba would be the sole heir to Kaiba Corporation, and while he had been stepping up to help recently and would have Kisara and Isono to help him, he wasn't ready for that yet. The economics of it, management practices, how to foster research and development, Mokuba could figure those out in time, but the internal politics would eat him alive.

"If you don't mind me asking, but what happened?" Kaiba shot the guard a glare. "That's cool."

Eventually an older man emerged from a doorway at the end of the hall; another wobblier _tuh-thu_ _b_ followed the new pair of footsteps. Kaiba recognized him as someone who often worked with Kisara but couldn't exactly place the man's name. The older man nodded at the guard. "Thank you, Arnold. That is him. You may leave." Arnold nodded back and gave Kaiba an uneasy side-eye before leaving.

Kaiba decided to ignore the guard and turned his attention to the older man. "Where's Kisara?"

"Simply at home, sir. She had been spearheading the search for you, but eventually even she needs to sleep. Would you like me to call her in?"

"No," Kaiba rolled his lips in disappointment. "There was just something I was going to ask her to do. You could probably do it just as well." The older man composed himself, ready for orders. "I woke up by the dumpster in lower level parking garage next to three dead garbage collectors. This needs to be reported to the police, and we should start our own internal investigation of the incident as well. I will be heading upstairs to pick up some things from the office before heading home to be with family." He realized that the situation would likely be more complicated than that, but sometimes simply saying things with enough authority made them true.

"Sir… If what you say is true, then it may be best if you waited down here until the police arrived. They will likely want an official statement. We can have Arnold pick up your things for you."

"Of course." Kaiba still pursed his lips. This might take longer than anticipated. "All I need are a couple of reports that should have been left on my desk and a spare school uniform in the lower left hand drawer of my desk."

The older man gestured towards Arnold and repeated the instructions before handing him a key and sending him off. Then the man turned back to Kaiba. "I know you may not want to discuss this, but as the senior member of security in the building, it is my job. Are you ok?"

"I'm covered in trash, what do you think?" The older man seemed unimpressed with this answer. "Fine, yeste- Monday night I was attacked on my way back to the office. My attacker easily overpowered me and knocked me out. Maybe he thought I was dead and tried to dispose of my body because the next time I woke up, I was at the bottom of the dumpster. The time after that I woke up surrounded by dead bodies." As he spoke the authoritative veneer slid off his voice, and he began to tremble. "What if he's trying to torture me? We need to do our own investigation on this. I need to get home as soon as possible."

The older man reached up to touch him but decided against it when he pulled away. He rarely wanted anyone to touch him, least of all now. The man seemed saddened by this. "Don't worry. We will be conducting a thorough investigation parallel to the police's. You will probably be able to go home as soon as you issue the statement. Another thing I have to ask is what happened to your hand?"

Kaiba cautiously started to lift up his left hand, remembering that he had checked it for marks before, but the man shook his head and gestured towards his right hand. Lifting that one up, Kaiba noticed a web of dark red blood across his knuckles and the back of his hand. Without thinking he pulled it up to his nose and sniffed, but he immediately recoiled at the smell of something sour in addition to the trashy haze. Kaiba suddenly became aware of the absurdity of the action and turned away from the man's gaze. "I must have cut it while in the dumpster."

The older man then excused himself to call the police station, leaving Kaiba with his thoughts for a moment. He hated it. Not being left alone, that was fine. It was all the noises, smells, and lights that made a quiet moment loud. It was the choice between focusing on things which shouldn't be there or letting himself remember the garbage collector's face. Kaiba curled inward and crossed his arms.

Eventually the older man returned, and Kaiba decided to correct a mistake. "I'm not sure I have your name."

"Jun Liu, sir"

That rang a bell. "Kisara recruited you on a trip to Beijing, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

Kaiba considered things for a moment then noted, "I will notify Kisara of your performance today. You have done well."

Not even half a minute after Arnold came down with the bag of clothes and reports, two people and two pairs of _tuh-thub_ walked into the lobby and headed straight towards Kaiba. One was a round woman with her hair pulled back under a scarf with a stiff step, while trailing behind her was a short man who walked like he was trying not to dance to the song in his head. Like Arnold they both smelled healthy and fit though in a softer way. As they approached the woman reached into her jacket and pulled a badge out. "Hello, I'm Detective Wasseem, and this is Detective Ito. The crime scene is cordoned off and being processed by the officers, so we would now like to speak with you." Detective Wasseem explained, twirling the badge in her hand before putting it away. "You must be Mr. Liu, who I talked with over the phone, and you must be Seto Kaiba."

She reached out to shake both of their hands, nose crinkling when she reached towards Kaiba. He reluctantly grabbed her hand. Her warm hand stiffened upon contact and her _tuh-thub_ jumped for a moment, before she released her grip.

"Kaiba is fine." His first name always made him feel young, and while he may be younger than Jun Liu, he had the senior position at the company. "It's a good thing you could come out here. This is important."

"Yeah," Detective Ito laughed. "You got quite a horror show going down there." He sounded almost irreverent, but Kaiba's nose detected a trace of unease. Understandable, considering they just saw the bodies. Detective Ito let out another laugh. "In fact, you're not that pleasant of a sight either."

"Probably not that pleasant of a smell too, so it would be best for all of us if we got this over with as soon as possible."

"You can say that again." Detective Ito leaned forward and smiled, but upon not receiving a response from Kaiba, his expression dropped. "So, Mr. Liu mentioned you getting attacked. Could you expand on that? What did the attacker look like? Did they have any weapons?"

Kaiba shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I was dragged into an alley on the way back to work. When I could see who it was, it looked like one of my classmates Yugi Mutou, who has a very distinctive look. Short with spiked hair and blonde bangs. But, the attacker was also very different. His skin was darker. His hair was more sculpted but his bangs were wild. He didn't act like Yugi either. Yugi has a reputation for letting people walk over him, and he doesn't have much to back up what spine he does have. Not like this."

"Yes, your file mentions that you had gotten into a disagreement with Yugi Mutou and his grandfather over…" Detective Wasseem pulled out a small notebook from within her blazer. "Over a rare necklace. Yugi Mutou spent that night in the hospital with his grandfather, who was injured at one of your facilities. Were the incidents related?"

"My file?" The information was correct. He had transported Sugoroku Mutou to a virtual gaming center owned by Kaiba Corp. There, they each bet a copy of the White Dragon Necklace on a game of augmented reality chess, where they each took the place of the king.

Unfortunately for Sugoroku Mutou, the realism of the game, especially the death of the bishops, peons, and knights, shook the old man, and he played a poor game. After achieving checkmate, the program ended with the losing player being attacked by the threatening piece. It was holographic and ultimately harmless, but it gave the old man enough of a scare to pass out. Yugi and his gaggle of friends had escorted the man to the hospital, though not before Yugi had attempted to get the necklace back, a challenge Kisara quickly dealt with herself.

"Your missing person file." Detective Ito gave a reassuring smile. "It says that in addition to your head of security, your brother and your assistant Isono had insisted the department investigate your disappearance because they suspected foul play. We are merely trying to tie in what you're saying to what's there."

"Moreover," Detective Wasseem immediately cut in. "The file had eliminated Yugi Mutou and his family as suspects, since there are witnesses placing them at the hospital for the entire night that you went missing. Are you sure you want to say the attacker looked like him?"

Kaiba titled his head. "'The file mentioned', 'the file had eliminated'. It doesn't sound like you two were officially on the investigation, so you don't seem to be in a position to tell me what I want to say, particularly because I was the one who contacted you about this, not the other way around." Detective Wasseem leaned away at the remarks but kept a stern expression on her face, while Detective Ito sent his partner a questioning glance. "Moreover, I specifically emphasized that my attacker resembled Yugi in some ways, but was definitely not him. So, whatever Yugi was doing that night is actually irrelevant.

"The incidents were, however, related. Along with some occult nonsense, my attacker mentioned Sugoroku going to the hospital. Not sure how he knew about it, but he did. In fact we had a scuffle over the necklace, and it broke. Not too long after that, the boy disposed of me."

Looking back, Kaiba mused that he probably should have left the new acquisition with Kisara and the other necklaces, but he had been so excited to finally have it that his judgment had lapsed. Then again, he had not known at the time that he would be attacked and thrown in a dumpster. Life was unpredictable and harsh; he'd learned that young. Still, he had wanted so badly to own the complete set. In a way, he now had a complete set of three, but it wasn't the same.

"What kind of occult nonsense? It might help us track him down," Detective Ito offered.

"Bullshit about demons and darkness mostly. The way he talked, it sounded like he thought I was possessed or something."

Detective Wasseem looked like she was trying not to roll her eyes. "And, how did the boy dispose of you? Did he have any weapons?"

"He was just strong. I could barely do anything to stop him." Kaiba's hand wandered up to his neck. "It gets a little blurry, but I remember him pushing me against the wall and then pricks on my neck, though I don't feel anything there now, so…." He didn't want to sound weak, but he didn't want to sound like a liar, especially with Detective Wasseem already suspicious. He left it at a shrug. "I blacked out not too long afterwards. Next I woke up, and I was buried in the dumpster unable to move because of the smell. After that I woke up outside it with the bodies around me."

"Could we see your neck?"

Kaiba moved his hand away. He looked expectantly at the detectives and then at Jun Liu, who had stepped to the side.

"I don't see anything." Detective Waseem chided, tapping her finger against the notebook.

Detective Ito shrugged. "Not being hurt usually is a good thing." His voice wavered a bit, and the emphasis dropped on the 'usually'. "It should be a good thing that it didn't happen."

Kaiba let out a sigh and looked down. He remembered it. He remembered being pinned against the wall. He remembered the pain at his neck, and he certainly remembered how everything went numb and weak afterwards. And, whether or not that happened, he still ended up in a dumpster for three or four days, and he still woke up surrounded by corpses. His hand slowly and gracelessly fell to his side.

"There is a stain on your collar, sir," Jun Liu spoke, startling everyone. He'd been so quiet he almost blended into the background. It was only his breathing and _tuh-thub_ that reminded Kaiba he was still there, and focusing on the detectives, Kaiba had tuned those out. However captivating the noises were, they were still so much softer than talking.

"There are plenty of stains on my clothes. I assume this one is different."

"It looks like it could be dried blood, sir."

Kaiba's mouth went into an 'o'. Maybe it did happen. Unfortunately, before he could further process this new information, Detective Wasseem cut in, "While we are on the topic, what about the blood on your hand. How did that get there?"

Kaiba hesitated then shrugged. "Must have cut myself on something in the dumpster."

"Are you aware that one of the garbage truck's windows was shattered? By the looks of it, whoever attacked those people, busted the window in order to get to the driver. Most of the glass was on the driver's seat, and the seat belt was even ripped apart rather than unbuckled."

"What does that ha-" Kaiba was in the middle of snapping back, when he saw his hand again. The web of red across his hand was formed of a number of little streaks, exactly what one would expect if shards of glass had fallen across it. He touched his fingers with his left hand. It felt normal, unharmed. He looked back at Detective Wasseem, who glared at him incredulously, while Detective Ito for once did not attempt to offer any hope. The evidence did seem fairly damning.

But, it also was completely ridiculous. "First, you would think my hand would still be hurting if I punched through the window of a truck, and it doesn't hurt at all. Second, I don't think I'm physically capable of ripping apart a seat belt, even if- _if_ \- I wanted to. Third, what do you think I did? Hop into a dumpster, wait four days, abandoning my brother and my company in the process, only to jump out and murder some garbage collectors I've never met before. Oh, and then walk up here to report it. Do you realize what you're saying?"

Detective Ito responded. "We aren't saying we know exactly what happened, but a number of details are suspicious, your hand among them. The bodies were still warm; they couldn't have been there that long. Chances are you were there when they were murdered, and unless we check the tapes and find that someone left the garage not too long before you woke up, then you are by default the only suspect. You are right that things don't entirely add up in any case, but you see why we have to check."

"Or, you could realize that your only suspect is sheet white, hasn't eaten any solid food in four days, and still smells like the deepest pits of hell," A mysterious voice announced, causing Kaiba to almost jump out of his skin. "I've seen corpses that looked more alive."

It took a moment for Kaiba's eyes to find the source of the voice, which turned out to be a dark skinned man in a suit with a white turban wrapped loosely around his head. But, something was wrong, deeply wrong. After a second, Kaiba realized that he wasn't hearing anything from the man, not any footsteps, not a breath, and certainly not a _tuh-thub_. Taking a quick sniff, he realized that there were no new scents either. He could see the man and hear the man speak, but otherwise it was like he wasn't there. With that Kaiba started to realize just how quickly he came to expect those senses, even as he tried to deny and ignore them.

Maybe this was proof that he wasn't actually hearing- Kaiba loathed to acknowledge it with a name- heartbeats. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be hearing or smelling these things. He was just out of it after being missing. In a dumpster. For four days. The stranger in front of him was normal.

The thought provided some comfort but didn't stop the alarms going off in his head.

However, as Kaiba stared, wide-eyed at the man, the two detectives were already talking. "Well, I can't say whether I was expecting to see you here. You tend to work nights, but no one could find you around. Shannon said she hadn't seen you around the department the past few days. Yet, somehow you always manage to show up." Detective Wasseem almost spat the words out.

"I've been keeping an eye on something, but I appear where I am needed."

The statement made Detective Ito laugh. "Of course you do. That's why you have your finger in every pie in the department. And, you mention corpses looking more alive. I've never seen a corpse that sarcastic. And, for somebody who hasn't eaten or drunk anything for four days, he seems fairly alert. Again, not saying he did it, but it is fairly odd, don't you think."

"Odd, perhaps. However, life contains many odd things, most of which we never know the rhyme or reason for. It doesn't mean there isn't any, though. The shock of waking up to that scene may have fed him some adrenaline. He may be pushing forward on willpower alone. He may be ignoring all the warning signs his body is sending him. We would never know just looking. Asking him may work, but there is a chance that even he does not know himself." The strange man looked directly at him.

Kaiba blinked. They were talking about him, weren't they? He curled his lip back in distaste. "I'm… no, I'm not entirely fine." He continued staring at the stranger. "You haven't introduced yourself."

"Sorry for my rudeness." The stranger gave a professional smile and bobbed his head. "I'm Detective Shadi. I was spearheading the investigation into your disappearance, and as such, I should have gotten here earlier. As said, there is important business I have to keep track of, and your sudden reappearance was quite the surprise."

"It's not like you were that much later than these bozos," Kaiba snorted. Detective Shadi's presence or lack thereof may be off-putting, but he could still be useful. "Perhaps you can talk some sense into them."

Detective Wasseem rolled her eyes. "If there is any sense in the Domino Police Department, it certainly wouldn't come from Shadi. He transferred in half a year ago and has had the captain under his thumb ever since. He doesn't have a partner and gets whatever cases fit his fancy. I'm not sure it even matters if he makes progress on them. Plus, whatever important business he's talking about wasn't with the department, and he hadn't even put in leave. I don't doubt the captain will somehow manage to ignore this, like everything else he does, but if you don't want to look suspicious, he's not the guy you want on your side."

Detective Shadi seemed unfazed by the disparagement. "Maybe not me, but reason might convince you. If you leave him tonight, it's not like he can go anywhere. Not only is he the richest person in the city, but his face has also been plastered all over the news after his disappearance. If he wanted to avoid notice, he'd have to crawl back into a dumpster and even then eventually he'd have to feed. Let him go. You can get a warrant later."

"Maybe," Detective Wasseem said. "But, there's still the issue of his health. 'Not entirely fine' is a long ways off from the condition we would expect someone with his story to be in. He should check into the hospital on the way home. It would be good to have a professional opinion on his condition." She pressed her lips together and glanced at the ground. "You are right that he is a bit pale, and when we shook hands, he felt cool to the touch. He should probably get that checked out."

Detective Shadi opened his mouth and then closed it before putting his fingertips together, glancing upward, and muttering something quick. He then looked directly at Kaiba. "Well, it seems like… a reasonable enough request."

"And a necessary one for both the detectives here and myself," Kaiba conceded. On one level, he felt physically fine. Better in fact than he had before the incident, which was a confusing and scary thought. What if Detective Shadi was right and he was ignoring something? There were of course signs. The sounds and smells that shouldn't exist. The paleness and apparently coolness of his skin. The blood on his collar and across his fingers. What if he got home only to collapse on the floor? Kaiba wasn't even sure why he was alive; the prospect of this all catching up to him didn't sound far fetched.

"That would be satisfactory then." Detective Wasseem did not sound or smell satisfied, but she put both her pen and her notepad away.

"I guess we'll go back to examining dead bodies and pondering the depravity of human nature. Though, considering your clothes are covered in evidence, it would be great if you dropped them off at evidence. Later of course." And, with that Detective Ito went back to lighthearted laughs and reassuring smiles. The two then turned to leave.

Kaiba turned towards Detective Shadi. "Are you going to be leaving as well?"

"There is something I would like to discuss with you before you leave, but if you have other business to attend to first, I can wait."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Surely, then, this can wait until another day."

"No."

"So, you think this is more important than a murder investigation?" Kaiba almost laughed.

Detective Shadi did not even blink at the question. "The investigation pertains to lives already lost due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. What I come with now is a warning about what we can control and the lives, both yours and of those around you, that may be at stake."

Well, if that wasn't ominous. Though perhaps Detective Shadi had some information on the boy who attacked him. While Detective Shadi was odd, he also seemed reasonable and competent, and Kaiba decided to hear him out. "I can't imagine the scene I woke up to being an accident, but since you're willing to wait, I have to first clean up. I'm not sure I can stand another moment smelling like this."

* * *

 **Author's note** : By its nature a story that focuses on denial focuses on perspective, and no one has the full story. Detective Shadi has the most of it, but even he has blind spots, which will become more evident in future chapters. Also, that thing Detective Shadi was keeping an eye on is not a throw away line. It will come up way down the line, but not for a bit. Mega Bonus Points for guesses as to what it was (though totes fine if you can't guess cause I didn't leave many hints).

Fun facts: Jun Liu used to be in the military, Arnold does cross fit, and Detective Wasseem's first name is Maram.

 **A statement about the update schedule**

First and generally, I am a graduate student, which means I am very busy. I write as regularly as I can, but as soon as I get what I have written up here, things will start to drag. Moreover, I am spacing out my uploads of what I have written to at at least a week between partly to give people more of a chance to find it (waiting until it is more buried gives it more exposure in the long run... I think). Moreover, even though some of the chapters are written, I do another sweep of them for typos and other mistakes before uploading them here, which with my schedule can even be a bit much. In any case if you can't wait for the next chapter in the meantime, I have posted all of the current chapters already to AO3 under Microraptor_Glider and to tumblr under techno-sorcerer (to find it check the blog and then under the tag #fic:adjusting-to-the-dark, which contains other content related to the fic as well).

 **Responses to Guests:**

Guest: I hope this clears up whether he is or is not a vampire now, though I will say I had purposefully left some details from the dumpster scene onward last chapter to already hint in that direction.

Also, I purposefully paralleled the first episode of the anime, so that's where Kaiba's character is at, though the story also will also draw some aspects of the story from the early manga. And, if you know anything about the early manga, Kaiba certainly did not know when to do the right thing in the time leading up to the mind crush. In particular, I wrote that with the turning paralleling the mind crush aspect (actually paralleling both punishment games), though the part I like least about the canon mind crush is that we don't to see him rebuild his heart and how/why he put it together the way he did. In this sense, it comes off as character reboot more than charcter development (and we don't see enough of him before it in the anime for it to be as meaningful).

So, I see this as a partial mind crush. He is free to rebuild, but we will actually see more of him figure himself out, and it will be over the course of the story realizing that while his punishment was perhaps disproportionate (as early manga punishments were), he also hadn't been the self he would like to be. So the main point is, yes Kaiba often does know when he needs to do the right thing despite being a jerk, and while that will come into play here, he is also pulling himself up to that and may still slip up too.

CaptainUmaGreen: Starts are important, so I'm glad you liked how this started out.

Guest: I hope you enjoy this chapter, though as said above, updates will come when they come.

Gothic Girl: Thank you! I hope you love this chapter as well.


	3. Twisted Reflections

**Chapter Summary** : As he changes into clean clothes Kaiba has a moment to reflect on what had gotten him to that point and the current state of his body.

 **Chapter Content Warnings** : brief discussions of dysphoria, mentions of cissexism (trans broken arm syndrome, no specific incidents in the chapter), mentions of child abuse, hallucinations, unreality (the chapter has actual hallucinations and… magic stuff… that's real but not physically… though Kaiba isn't distinguishing them, it should be clear which is which, but I'm including this for that reason.)

 **Note** : I am going to update the summary, but in case you missed that this fic will contain transmasc Kaiba.

* * *

Kaiba started stripping the moment the bathroom door closed behind him. If the detectives hadn't specifically asked for them, he would have tossed the clothes in the trash and then ordered them incinerated for good measure. Even glancing at them made him nauseous with the memory of the dumpster. But, alas, he had to hold onto them and instead neatly, if hastily, folded them and set them aside. Only two things made him pause for a moment.

First, there was indeed a red stain across the collar of his inner shirt, still dark but brighter than the web of blood across his hand. The stain was two neighboring splotches that were just large enough to connect in the middle with a few drips heading towards the shirt's shoulder. With the front of his shirt soaked and stained a sickly brown and other splotches scattered across the fabric, the red smear didn't appear that out of place. Hell, it could have been mistaken for a ketchup stain if he hadn't remembered being hurt there. That and there was an actual glob of ketchup on his outer shirt's elbow that had a completely different consistency.

Just as with the blood on the back of his hand, Kaiba was suddenly tempted to sniff it, but the stench, fortunately, prevented him from instinctively acting on it.

Kaiba scowled. It shouldn't have been a temptation in the first place. Then again, his nose shouldn't have decided to be so damn informative. His nose had no reason, no right, to tell him if someone was healthy or nervous or if no one had been there for the past hour, and if it dared to tell him that, there must be something wrong with it, him, or both. Hell, it wouldn't be the first time his brain had fucked up. He shouldn't trust it, yet somehow he couldn't convince himself not to. And, with that failure, the pang of curiosity lingered.

The second thing that gave him pause was a more practical issue: what to do with his packer. He felt naked without it, and he still had things to do and people to interact with before he went home. Even if no one else noticed, he would notice and that would be enough. His skin crawled at the thought, and he considered placing it on the sink counter rather than in the pile. It's not like the detectives had a warrant for them anyway; he was complying to help prove his story, which the packer wouldn't help with.

He curled his lips in thought.

At least with his binder, there were health concerns to worry about. He had in the past forgotten to take the binder off after a long night working and had, upon realizing it, regretted the decision, feeling it press against his chest and constricting his breathing. Wearing it for four days straight… a shiver went down his spine. Even now he felt it press uncomfortably against his chest, so he pulled it off, accidentally creating a tear in the process. As soon as it came off, his chest and ribs adjusted to normal, but strangely being able to breath wasn't that much of a relief. He vaguely considered putting it back on.

But, the packer and the binder were also completely unsanitary, and his disgust at keeping anything- even something as important as them- that had spent the past four days with him in the dumpster eventually won out. The smell alone was enough to give him second thoughts.

A sigh escaped Kaiba's lips. At least, despite the years before he took blockers and the weeks at a time that Gozaburo would withhold them as punishment, his breasts were small; he could probably get through the night. But, there was a chance it could make his hospital visit later more difficult. He had carefully vetted his usual doctor to make sure that they could see past gender and hormones to any problems Kaiba needed addressing, but his usual doctor probably wasn't up right now. He hoped that being assaulted and missing for four days would help focus the doctor's attention, but people could be dense and frustrating. If Kaiba could get away with not dealing with them he would.

Kaiba wished that he had planned for this better when leaving a change of clothes in his room so that he could have a second packer on hand; however, he had never planned for this anyways. The clothes were for school nights that he spent at the office. He had assumed for example that he would at least have the shoes from the previous day, and now he would have to go with just his replacement socks or barefoot.

Before Kaiba could change into his new clothes, he needed to clean himself. he wandered over to the sink and just as he was about to turn the faucet on, he noticed something odd in the mirror.

His reflection was dark, as if he was cast under a deep shadow, not the diffuse shadows cast under fluorescent lights but like the shadow in the corner under the bed which obscured the details of anything down there. On the left side of his chest, trailing down from what he guessed was the location of his heart was the darkest, and there the shade roiled like the clouds in his dream. His eyes, meanwhile, radiated a soft pale glow. The oddest part was that only his reflection was effected; the mirror showed the rest of the room as it should be.

He stared at the mirror, then down at himself.

Kaiba couldn't say he looked how he should. His whole body was a sickly pale, except his feet which had a ring of off pink around the soles. And, on top of that, he was filthy. Goop dripped down his front, where his wet shirt had stuck to his skin. He could still feel his hair cling to the right side of his face, while the rest was knotted and messed to oblivion. No, he looked absolutely horrible, barely human. But, there was nothing on his chest, and his skin was directly touched by the fluorescent light above.

He closed his eyes, counted to five, and then opened them. His reflection hadn't changed.

"That..." As he opened his mouth he noticed another problem with his reflection: canines that were longer and sharper than they should be. He passed his tongue over his teeth. They were the right length; they were normal. "That isn't real," Kaiba muttered to himself.

He'd certainly had stranger hallucinations. His hallucinations were rarely pleasant, so clearly they'd draw from a nightmare, myth, and a glimpse of his attacker. And, the fact that he was still recovering from an attack meant that he shouldn't be surprised his brain was acting up. Best to ignore it.

Sighing, he dunked his head under the sink and let it run. The process was awkward. He bumped his head against the sink twice, and he accidentally pulled his own hair as his fingers caught on tangles. But, there was also relief as the smells from his hair started disappearing, and though Kaiba could not see the bottom of the sink bowl from this angle, he could imagine swirls of brown liquid pouring and of his hair and spiraling down the drain. He would clearly need to shower again when he got home. There was no way that this would be enough, but it was a start.

Kaiba then grabbed a mound of paper towels from the dispenser and finished cleaning. He pushed off the film from his skin, along with quite a few dead skin cells. He dug under his fingernails to get the last pieces of trash. He rubbed the blood off of the back of his hand to reveal pristine skin.

With each paper towel tossed in the trash can, Kaiba could feel the air become crisper. When he was done, he hazarded half a breath that, upon discovering its clarity, deepened to the point where he could taste the air. Kaiba found himself moving his head, testing how the air and odors shifted.

The air, for the most part, was sanitized, and solution still hung in the air. Different fumes wafted up from the floor, countertop, and mirror, but they all stung slightly. Especially the fumes from the countertop. Meanwhile, even just the smell of the soap was slippery, mostly flavorless except for a hint of vanilla. For the most part, the odors of the bathroom had been dealt with by the cleaning crew, but they hadn't quite managed to get everything, since a faint trace of piss emanated from the far stall. Though he was fortunate to have his old clothes off him, they hadn't stopped stinking either. Finally, he could swear he could smell Jun Liu standing guard outside the bathroom door. Old and starting to fail but still competent and powerful.

It was a lot to process. A lot to take in. Focusing too hard on it made his head hurt. Like his mind was being pummeled with detail after detail. Eventually, he was forced to lose focus and let his mind wander between the smells, strangely finding himself drawn towards those smells- even the less pleasant ones- connected with people.

However, it also felt natural. That some of the details were important, a part of a puzzle with something waiting for him at the end. Something for him to take. Like that was what he was supposed to do now.

What a ridiculous thought.

He turned his attention back to the task at hand and gathered the change of clothes that Arnold had brought down. Putting on the uniform, he mused on how none of this would have happened if he hadn't decided to attend one of Domino's public high schools.

In his mind, Kaiba didn't have any reason to actually be there; he had learned nearly all of the material from Gozaburo's tutors anyways. However, the Big Five and basically anyone else he encountered at the company had insisted that as a minor he continue his education. Even Kisara and Isono had pushed the idea, though at least they did so gently.

Still, everyone said that it would look bad for the company if he wasn't in school. Running a major company was not something one could do as a hobby, Kaiba had retorted, so it wouldn't it look worse if he were busy with homework. But, no, they had reminded him, how it looked didn't actually depend on what he could and could not do, and as a minor, it would look bad regardless. Everyone would assume until proven otherwise he wasn't taking it seriously. A minor in school with good grades was an excellent student; a minor, especially one with such a dazzling future, out of school- no matter the reason- was presumed truant. If it was a lower job and he actually needed the money, the truancy may have been justified, but that wasn't his situation and that wasn't how people saw it.

So, here, why not continue with the tutor from before? You know, the one who worked you like a mule with barely a moment to catch your breath. Or look at this prestigious college prep school in Europe? Even if you completed your homework with time to spare, good luck getting back to corporate headquarters. Kaiba never said this out loud but half suspected that the Big Five had suggested it to keep him busy and out of their hair.

Kaiba did not trust the Big Five one bit. They were simultaneously too loyal and not loyal enough. Hungry for power, they had easily turned on Gozaburo, the man who had brought them to the position and esteem they had now, but they also were still married to Gozaburo's vision. Under them, the company would be the same war machine it had been under Gozaburo with a few cosmetic changes like taking marginally different projects with marginally different results. They didn't want to change the ship or even change direction; they just wanted to be the ones at the helm, and unfortunately, Kaiba had already decided to change course towards games: the bloodless battles, where the victor could claim the spoils and the loser suffer defeat without physical injury. Kaiba knew they would probably turn on him if not closely watched. He could not afford to be distracted by schoolwork.

It was Mokuba's insistence on going to public school that inspired the compromise.

Of course, he would continue his education. However, the school would be a short drive from the office. He may be bored out of his mind in class, but that gave him time to think about more important things. Kaiba couldn't count the number of times he'd worked on his own projects right in front of the teacher, and so long as he wasn't disruptive, did his work, and answered the teacher's questions, the teachers learned not to care, or at least not to care too much.

This seemed to satisfy all parties involved, though some more than others. Kisara and Mokuba seemed the most pleased, and their heads seemed to fill with the bizarre notion that he might 'get to know people his age' and 'make friends', as if he could afford to frivolously waste his time on such pursuits and as if anyone was ever in this world for anyone but themselves. At the same time, the Big Five were not happy so much as cornered into a compromise, but regardless they finally stopped pressing the issue.

It had therefore been a lucky break that he had even been in the school building let alone the classroom when Yugi Mutou had mentioned the White Dragon Necklace. Well, it had seemed like a lucky break at the time.

Kaiba finished buttoning his shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. He was still hallucinating, and in fact, the shadows that obscured his skin were spilling onto his clothes. The smoke-like shadows that had been rolling out of his chest were more restrained, but the occasional wisp still poked through the fabric. It was a good thing- Kaiba conceded- that the hallucination was so blatantly impossible; the rock solid facts of the world always helped ground him. Even if he still struggled to ignore or at the very least not react to the visions, knowing they weren't actually there was the first step.

But, however, easy this one was to deal with Kaiba never considered hallucinations a good sign. They came when he was sick, tired, and overworked. They came when he was scared that Gozaburo would lord something over him. They sometimes still came when he saw a mistake that Gozaburo would have lorded over him. They came when he failed to protect the few things he loved. They came to remind him of how powerless he was.

They came after he was attacked and left for dead. After waking up with corpses scattered around him. No, it had not been a lucky break.

The room began to bend and twist as everything that had happened came crashing down around him. People had died. He almost died. The floor appeared to crack and burst at the seems. He rubbed his neck and tried to get the image of the corpse's ghastly lopsided stare out of his head. The walls warped further, and a fissure appeared between his feet. He closed his eyes and clutched onto the rim of the sink. He whispered, 'This isn't happening,' again and again. Eventually, he opened his eyes. The room had settled down, and the floor was whole, but his reflection was still dark and wrong. He glared at his own supposedly glowing eyes.

Kaiba adjusted the shirt collar to make sure it was straight and proper. He arranged his still damp hair to look more presentable and approximate his usual cut. It was time to speak to Detective Shadi.

Kaiba went to grab the bag of dirty clothes and almost turned the door handle to leave before curiosity got the better of him. He reached down into the bag grabbed the collar of the dirty white undershirt and brought it to his nose. A quick sniff gave him all the information he needed.

It stunk. Of course, it would. But, there were smells that he wasn't expecting. There was something sweet and rich that permeated the area of the stain, yet… it was also burnt. Burnt with a side of rotten eggs. It repulsed him but in a way that was more personal than the rest of the debris. Like he knew it had been tampered with. Garbage was supposed to stink, but this stain wasn't supposed to smell like that. It was _his_ blood, and somebody had gone and messed it up. The ferocity of the thought scared Kaiba.

He stuffed the shirt back into the bag and opened the door.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : If you are wondering why I did what I did with the mirror: there are multiple versions of Vampiric lore around mirrors. One is that it is the silver lining that makes vampires have no reflection. Another is that mirrors reflect souls (of which vampires supposedly do not have). I decided to go with the later, but instead of vampires lacking a soul, their soul has been affected by the curse which shows up in the mirror. So basically I just ran with it in the complete opposite direction. However, with how dark a vampire's reflection is, you can't really see anything where the reflection is: hence, even if mirrors don't see through them, they have no reflection.

Also, this chapter is mostly world building before the plot picks up more next chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it. Plus there are important seeds for later here. That and answering important questions such as what was he doing at that school anyways.


	4. Cassandras Part I

**Chapter Summary:** Shadi delivers two warnings: one regarding the threat Kaiba poses to others and another about a threat to Kaiba's own life. There are enough grains of truth to keep Kaiba's attention, but ultimately Shadi's words turn to nonsense.

 **Chapter Content Warnings:** Referenced canonical suicide (Gozaburo's), mentions of cissexism (Trans Broken Arm Syndrome. No incidents depicted.), mentions of hallucinations, general discussions of death

 **Note:** Sorry for a bit longer wait. I was busy this week, and the chapter I am writing is being annoying. In particular getting the timeline set up correctly is being a pain in the ass, and when I went to copy over the author's note... I realized it mentioned a piece that is now in flux. I've decided to post anyway with a clarification about that, but it did slow me down. As always, there is more content on AO3 and tumblr. I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

Jun Liu, who had already been waiting en garde, still managed to straighten when Kaiba exited the bathroom. Meanwhile, Detective Shadi stood, unblinking, a couple yards away. He looked up when Kaiba exited the bathroom but barely moved a muscle otherwise. Kaiba turned to Jun Liu and held out the bag. "Make sure this gets to the police department in the next few days, though sooner will save both face and nose."

Jun Liu nodded. "Do you still need me here while you talk with Detective Shadi? The detectives may still be by the crime scene, and I would like to touch base with them before they leave to aid with our own investigation. It may even be the last chance to see what happened before it all gets hidden behind red tape." Jun Liu turned towards Detective Shadi. "I do not believe you are going to hurt him, but with him only just returned, your less than stellar reputation, and information that his life may be at stake, you can see why I may be worried about leaving."

"I understand your concern," Detective Shadi looked Jun Liu in the eye. "Unfortunately, what I have to say is for his eyes and ears only. Even your guard," Detective Shadi glanced at Arnold and then regained eye contact with Jun Liu, "will have to step away while we discuss this."

"That is not very reassuring."

Detective Shadi shrugged. "But, it is the truth. If you need something to soothe your mind, your boss is not in immediate danger. However, if he is not careful, how he handles these next few days can lead to others dying even if by accident. Accident or not, with the chance to have forewarning and the chance to avoid it, those deaths would be on him. Still, your boss has yet to answer your question, and your presence is ultimately up to him."

Kaiba considered it for a moment. "Others dying. Like the garbage collectors?"

"That is one possibility, yes."

"Hmm." Detective Shadi's insistence on speaking alone was odd, and after the alleyway Kaiba had good reason to be wary. Somebody had tried to kill him, and somebody had killed three people. Agreeing to meet the detective, who despite being otherwise competent was not trusted by others in the department, without security present was practically inviting trouble. But, he also needed more information on who attacked him, who had created the scene he woke up to. Without knowing what happened, the fear that his attacker could come back remained. Kaiba loved a puzzle but hated a mystery, and Detective Shadi's information had the potential to turn the situation from one to the other.

The portent of death also weighed on Kaiba's mind. Kaiba was under no illusions that he was a good person. He had extorted, threatened, and destroyed businesses and lives, at first to protect himself and his brother but then almost out of habit. He'd promised the Big Five power to use them against Gozaburo and then tossed the promises aside when he was done. He saw what needed to be done, and he did it. If that made him ruthless then so be it.

But, the one person he would wish death on was already dead, and even then he had been horror-struck as Gozaburo had flung himself out the window. He didn't want anyone else to die.

"Arnold can stay out of conversation range but enough within earshot of a cry for help, and knowing that the suspicion would then fall on him should provide enough of a deterrent to prevent Detective Shadi from trying anything. You may leave. Give Arnold the instructions on the way out. Also, tell him to make sure to get a ride ready; I would like to be able to leave as soon as this discussion is over."

Jun Liu shot Kaiba a worried- or was it concerned?- glance before 'yes-sir'ing and heading out. Relief flashed over the detective's face. "So, are you ready to talk?"

"I am at the very least curious about what you have to say. If you want more privacy, we can move to the closer to the elevators." Kaiba gestured behind him. The Kaiba Corp lobby had a fairly open floor plan with a few rooms and utilities scattered around the edges. Only the cluster elevators in the center would block someone's line of sight. "If that is not enough, we could always head to my office, but I would rather get this done and over with here."

Detective Shadi thought the options over. "By the elevators should be fine, so long as we remain quiet. Walls provide a false sense of protection anyway."

Kaiba gave a short hum in affirmation. As they walked towards the elevator shafts, something about Detective Shadi- or at least his image- seemed to quiver, and when they finally reached their destination, he turned towards Kaiba and put a finger to his lips. Kaiba raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, Detective Shadi's form lightly glowed before it began to shift and wobble. Then, a ripple started at the top of his form and rolled downward. It passed over his turban, earrings, and skin with no effect, but passing over his eyes, Kaiba saw his golden brown irises widen and his pupils disappear. Detective Shadi's eyeliner also thickened, making his already intense stare all the more formidable. Once it hit his suit, the clothes began to unfurl into a set of tan robes with a white shawl draped over his shoulders like a cape.

Kaiba jumped backwards with a yelp. What the ever loving fuck? Suddenly the warning bells that had been off since he had failed to fully sense the man turned into sirens. Detective Shadi reached out towards him, but Kaiba stepped back. He felt his lips pull back, and something twitched in his mouth.

Detective Shadi pulled his hand back and put a finger to his lips again, before moving his hand straight through the wall. He then spoke softly, "I am not a threat, but the world is more complicated than you think."

Kaiba blinked. Something clicked into place. In fact, suddenly Detective Shadi's lack of presence made complete sense. He began to relax, and the strange sensation in his mouth pulled back. "I already think the world is quite complicated but not in the way you are implying." Kaiba glanced around the room searching for the telltale flashing lights of a projector. "Did the technicians put you up to this?"

"The technicians?" Detective Shadi for the first time that night looked confused. "I can assure you that no one else has anything to do with this."

Kaiba let out a small laugh. "Detective Shadi-"

"Shadi is fine."

"Shadi, do not play games with me." He let out another laugh. "You are in the building of the company that invented holographic technology with the person who developed most of its key functions. What did you think would happen? That I wouldn't figure it out? The ability to record and respond in real time is fairly impressive, but there is literally no other plausible explanation."

Shadi seemed to let out a sigh, though Kaiba understandably couldn't hear the air exit his mouth. "I was hoping that it might get you to expand your definition of plausible, and it does often get people to think. You can check that I have not communicated with your technicians and, if there are any holographic projectors in this room, you will not find my image in any of their data banks. I am not a hologram."

Kaiba reached out and passed his hand through Shadi's form. The air there was surprisingly cool to the touch. Considering the amount of energy needed to produce a convincing image, holograms released plenty of residual heat. He narrowed his eyes. No better explanation presented itself. "And, what would you have me believe then?"

"What if…" Shadi paused a moment to consider his words carefully. "What if I were to say that there were things beyond the scientific. Things like magic, ghosts, and dragons. Things like vampires."

"Well, it is a good thing you aren't saying that," Kaiba smirked, "because I would say that we were done talking, and I would leave so that you wouldn't be able to waste any more of my time. If you believe in that superstitious nonsense, then maybe you aren't as competent as I thought."

Shadi slowly blinked. He opened his mouth then closed it. He waited a moment before finally speaking. "I knew you were in denial when you reported the crime, but this seems like a bit much. Still, we have other things to talk about, the most important of which being your upcoming hospital visit. Before I let you go there, I need to ask: are you hungry?"

Kaiba was about to retort that the hospital and his stomach had nothing to do with each other, when he realized that he should be hungry but he wasn't. In fact, he felt quite full. "No, but I haven't ea-" A memory cut him off mid-word. The taste. When he woke up there had been such a delicious, pleasant taste in mouth, which in the terror that followed he had completely forgotten about. He reached a hand up and touched his lips, and his eyelids fluttered for a moment. His mouth was watering at the mere memory. He swallowed his spit before correcting, "I don't remember eating anything." Questions buzzed in his brain. What had he eaten? How had he gotten a hold of it while by the dumpster? How had he forgotten? "Something must be wrong."

"That actually is the answer I was hoping for, and I honestly didn't expect anything else. I haven't seen a scene like that in quite some time, but with va- people like you it can be hard to tell. There doesn't appear to be a limit on how much you can eat, just after a certain point you don't have to." Shadi paused for a moment, and Kaiba narrowed his eyes. What the fuck was he talking about? Unfortunately, Shadi started talking again before Kaiba could vocalize his thoughts. "That, however, is neither here nor there. I ask because I have a contact in the hospital who would be willing to see you. She is a good person, and I have promised her not to send any trouble her way."

"Wait. Back up. You said you were expecting that answer. That answer disturbs me, and I was the one who gave it." Kaiba struggled to keep his voice down, but he was realizing why Shadi had asked the meeting to be private. He wouldn't have been able to stand random strangers hearing his own uncertainty. He only tolerated revealing it to Shadi because Shadi might have answers.

Shadi looked Kaiba in the eyes. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me the truth. You seem to have some idea about what is going on. Out with it."

Shadi rolled his eyes. "The truth is irrelevant if you won't believe it, though I promise you that I will not lie. Could you ask a more specific question?"

Kaiba let an exasperated sigh slip between his lips and then grit his teeth. What would it take to get a clear-cut answer from this man? "Oh, let's see. Where should I start? Do you have any idea what that taste was? Why I don't remember eating? Oh, god..." Another realization dawned on him. "I don't even remember getting out of the dumpster…"

"For someone who has no idea what's going on, you certainly cut straight to the heart of the situation, though the heart is the part your most likely to shut out. But, I will attempt to answer." Shadi paused to think, and Kaiba waited still grinding his teeth together. "I will start with why you don't remember because while it is definitely not simpler, it is easier. You don't remember because I'm not entirely certain you were entirely there. Your body was certainly present, but it was guided by an instinct, darkness, hunger so desperate it didn't want conscious thought getting in the way-"

At this point, Kaiba couldn't help himself. "Are you telling me what happened or trying to write a bad horror novel because at this point its hard to tell."

The comment elicited a half a laugh out of Shadi. "Given your stubbornness, I can see why you might think that, but if this were fiction I can assure you that I would not be the one writing it. I am merely a messenger. One that hopes to tip the course of events, but you ultimately have control over where your story leads. Plus, are you denying that after spending four days in a dumpster, you would be hungry?"

"No," Kaiba conceded, looking away. In fact, he remembered being absolutely ravenous, his hunger pains driven fiercer by the sound that shouldn't exist, but he wasn't going to give Shadi the satisfaction of saying that out loud. "Continue."

"Jokes aside, consider my first warning: the hunger will come back. I cannot tell you how soon, but judging by the strength of the one who attacked you, I cannot say that you have long. When it comes back, it will start small and grow. It has already started to mess with your instincts, but it will try to make its desires yours." As Shadi spoke, Kaiba rolled his eyes. The only reason he bit back a comment was that he remembered how strongly his hunger had pulled at his mind. "To call the hunger evil would be to give it a sense of morality that I do not think it has, but it will make you a danger to those around you, and, as I have said, you are responsible for your actions. You will have to find some resolution to this, and I do not have any clear-cut solutions to provide you. But, I believe someone with your resources and wit can figure something out."

"You know I'd be able to take you more seriously if you weren't describing a normal bodily process as if it were a malevolent spirit. I have worked through hunger before, and I can still eat."

"This is not the hunger you are used to, and I wish I could say that simply ignoring it or pushing through it was the answer. It is not. If it grows too strong, it can and it will push you out of the way to fulfill its goals. You will also find that eating may be a bit more complicated."

"Oooo, ominous," Kaiba said waving his fingers through the air. "So, what about my first question?"

Shadi frowned. "There is still so much I have to tell you first, and this is definitely the harder of the two. I can't have you storming off before I am done. I have decided to tell you that last. I understand that you think you want to know, but the truth has been staring you in the face, and you refuse to acknowledge it. So, let me give you my second warning."

"I have listened to everything reasonable you've said," Kaiba scowled. "I've even listened to some of the unreasonable things you've said. Tell me."

"No. I will but not yet. Are you done throwing a fit?" Kaiba's jaw dropped; he wasn't throwing a fit. He just wanted answers. But, for once he did not have a snappy retort, and he simply glared. "Good. Because my next warning regards your own life."

Kaiba perked up. "Does it have to do with the person who attacked me?"

"I see why you would be concerned about that, but that situation has been dealt with."

"Dealt with how?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow. Detectives Wasseem and Ito certainly hadn't had any idea about who had attacked him, and they had read his file. Suddenly their suspicions seemed a bit more well-founded. "I'm getting the sense that it wasn't through entirely legal means."

"It is best to keep human institutions out of these affairs, and in fact, my work with the department is a matter of convenience for that end. Instead, the owner of the King's Pendant has been notified and has taken action. Your attacker will be kept on a far tighter leash." Shadi's expression then hardened, and his voice somehow managed to turn more grim, "No, this concerns those who would strike you down not for what you have done but for what you are. Fortunately, you are not yet on their radar, and it would be better for you to keep it that way."

"I've disgruntled many people, but the boy in the alleyway was the first attempt on my life," Kaiba shrugged, "Why would they start caring now?" Despite his outward nonchalance, the threat against his own life did disturb him, especially so soon after he had already been attacked. The only question was whether the threat was real.

Shadi shook his head. "You misunderstand. They only care about what you are, not about what you were, and you have changed. And, do not underestimate them. They have taken on beasts far more dangerous than a handful of security guards, and even if you brought a few of them down with you, you are young and they are trained. You would lose. And, supposing that you didn't, there are plenty in your company and this city who would not fare well should these people's gaze fall in their direction."

"You seem to know a lot about these murderers." Shadi looked at the ground, and his form appeared to deflate. Hnn... Interesting. "Would there happen to be a reason for that?"

A few seconds passed before Shadi looked Kaiba directly in the eye and held the contact for a couple more moments. "I was, at one point, one of those people. So, believe me when I say that they are dangerous."

"Fine." Kaiba found it hard to believe there was a cabal of assassins ready to kill him because he'd felt a little weird since waking up, but Shadi certainly believed it. The regret in Shadi's voice had been palpable, and considering how casually the man had talked about the scene in the parking garage, Kaiba did not take that regret lightly. "You said the best way to deal with these people was to stay off their radar. How would you suggest I do that?"

"Well, the simplest way would be to hide the changes and not to cause any undo instances, but unfortunately, your ignorance has caused you to fail on both accounts, and now we are stuck trying to clean up your mess." A disapproving expression cast over Shadi's face. "The hospital visit right now is the more pressing problem and where you could potentially mess things up even more. We are lucky that I have a contact who has agreed to help. She works at Memorial, which is a bit farther away than the Domino University Hospital, but it is worth the trip if we are going to do things right."

"I presume this is the contact you mentioned earlier. The one you thought I'd bring trouble to if I were hungry." Kaiba wrung his hands together. While he was ready to admit, at least to himself, that the hunger he'd experienced scared him, he had yet to see how it affected others.

Shadi nodded. "That is the one. She isn't as embroiled in all this as you or I, and in fact, she would rather not become embroiled in any of it. She is placing a lot of trust in me by agreeing to this, and I would rather the trust not be misplaced."

"And, why, pray tell," Kaiba asked gesturing outward, "do I need to go to this contact of yours if she's halfway across the city and all I'd bring her is trouble. Wouldn't it be easier for both of us if I just went to the nearest emergency room, got checked over, and left for home? You said yourself that I should avoid any unnecessary trouble." Kaiba didn't honestly give a shit about this possibly non-existent 'trouble', but he was beginning to find that talking with Shadi was like an elaborate chess game. In order to move forward and make progress towards getting home, in order to potentially uncover the grains of truth Shadi possessed, he would have to sacrifice some points and pieces.

"Heaven forbid." Shadi immediately put his fingertips together and glanced upward. "That would be the quickest way to scare the doctors, cause a commotion, and attract the exact people I'm warning you about."

"I'm sure the doctors can handle a simple check-up. It's not like people haven't been assaulted in this city before." As he spoke the words, Kaiba had no doubt that Shadi would disagree; Shadi saw danger in every corner of this situation. Still, Kaiba couldn't help but flaunt the absurdity of everything as he attempted to uncover which dangers were real. "Why wouldn't these trained medical professionals be able to handle a case like mine?"

Shadi opened his mouth as if he were about to scream out a proclamation, but before the words could exit his mouth he closed it again. He glared at Kaiba before finally speaking, "Yes, people have been assaulted in this city before, and some here have likely been assaulted in the way that you have as well. But, when people survive such assaults it is usually because their attacker willed it, and when they wake up they have somebody to tell them why what your suggesting is such a horrifically bad idea. Anyone can tell that you're paler than you should be, and Detective Wasseem immediately noticed you weren't giving off the right amount of body heat. You can't possibly think the doctors won't notice your lack of pulse-"

"Of course I have a pulse. I'm alive," Kaiba snapped.

"Not entirely," Shadi immediately responded. "And, if you think that my family or anyone like them has one iota of respect for patient confidentiality in cases like yours, you are sadly mistaken. In my time, we kept our ear to the ground for the slightest trace of people like you, people we deemed dangerous, and I have absolutely no doubt that they continue to do so. And, despite the myths, we weren't trapped in the past. In recent years, they likely have added a digital component to cast their net even wider, so we can't afford even leaving a trace there. There are risks that I do not want to take."

Kaiba had taken a few steps back from Shadi, his mind still reeling from Shadi's earlier comment. Of course, he was alive. He wouldn't be here if he wasn't alive. Clearly, whatever veneer of sensibility Shadi had was starting to crumble. Maybe Shadi's head was just swimming with conspiracy theories and there was no threat against his life.

But, a voice at the back of Kaiba's head reminded him that whether or not Shadi was right about this, Shadi had been right about other things. Shadi knew about the hunger that had ripped through his brain. Shadi knew that he had eaten… something. Shadi was the first to bring up that something was wrong with him. Hell, other details from Shadi's story lined up. The King's Pendant probably referenced he gaudy pyramid Yugi had taken to wearing around his neck, and his attacker's words, 'my partner would not approve' echoed through Kaiba's mind. How exactly Yugi could keep that boy on any sort of leash was beyond Kaiba's imagination, but the two did seem connected. No, as much as he wanted to totally dismiss Shadi's ramblings, he couldn't.

Hoping to prove Shadi wrong, Kaiba put his thumb against his wrist. He felt nothing. A frown creased his face, and he moved his thumb to another position. Still nothing. Tch. Maybe he was just bad at this.

"You aren't going to find anything."

Kaiba shot Shadi a glare and moved his thumb again. "Shut up... It's probably just weak."

Shadi let out another breathless sigh. "Will you at least visit my contact? Her name is Dr. Ena Uramoto."

It would be physically impossible for him not to have a pulse; he could hardly count this something Shadi got right. But, it did give him pause. "Fine. But, she better not have any problems with…" Kaiba didn't want to come out to this stranger, but while Shadi was concerned about him bringing the doctor trouble, he needed to know that it wouldn't be the other way around. He needed to make sure the doctor would remain objective, actually tell him if he was ok, and help him if he wasn't.

Shadi stared at him expectantly. Kaiba glanced down. There was a chance Shadi had already noticed. He certainly hadn't mentioned anything, and Kaiba couldn't tell what sort of sign that was. "Gender. Hormones... Doctors tend to get a bit distracted."

Shadi blinked and considered it. "That hasn't been an issue in the past, but it has never come up, and things would be better if this went as smoothly as possible. I could pass a message before you get there."

Well, that went better than expected. Still, if he didn't know- and frankly Kaiba understood that he had had no previous reason to know- it made deciding what to do moving forward. He would rather be the one to tell her, to tell anyone, but at the same time, something to keep the doctor in line would be nice…

"I am not sure what would help in this situation, but I am fully capable of being cryptic."

Kaiba laughed. Well, that certainly was true. "Tell her to focus on the situation at hand and to remember what is actually relevant. And, you better not tell anyone about this."

Shadi shrugged, "I don't see how its anyone's business. There are more important things in the world to worry about." Those were some of the truest words Shadi had uttered all evening.

"Now that that's out of the way, what can she do that the rest of the medical community can't?"

"Nothing," Shadi plainly stated, "except agree to falsify your records."

That certainly wasn't the answer Kaiba was expecting; with the way Shadi had been talking this woman up, Kaiba had hoped she would be able to do something… more. "So, I won't be able to find out whats wrong with me? They won't be able to fix it?"

"The medical community certainly wouldn't be able to help you," Shadi shook his head, "and the only thing that can help is opening your mind and listening. Listen to what I'm telling you. Listen to your body and what it needs but stop yourself from following through with what it wants. The more you listen, and I mean actually listen and not judge what you are hearing based on preconceptions, the more obvious what is happening will become. And, you will see that there is no going back. What is happening to you is one of the open secrets of the world, mixed with baseless rumor but the kernel holds true. You should be able to piece it together. Going to the hospital to figure that out would be pointless."

Wonderful advice from somebody who clearly never had to doubt their senses. Letting go of preconceptions. Ha. That was letting go of reality. But, he would never let a stranger like Shadi know that.

Another worry began to tug at his mind, and he fiddled with the edge of his sleeve. The idea that whatever was happening wouldn't go away and he wouldn't be able to seek help for other reasons bothered him. He would eventually need another testosterone prescription, and it was bad enough that he missed the past four days. But, he would cross that bridge when he came to it. He had already used the resources at his disposal to start a year earlier than recommended; he could figure this out in time. Now, he would focus on present concerns, "Why even bother then. I'd be more than happy to head directly home. It's been a long enough night."

"The promise of the hospital record was the only thing that got the detectives to leave. I mentioned that truthful hospital records would attract the wrong sort of attention. So will a detailed investigation of your little crime scene. I will try to clean that mess up, to muddy the waters, cause some things to be misplaced, but with the crime already on official record, I won't be able to completely erase it. They still might try to get a warrant for that information, and their suspicion at not finding anything would chafe at my charms."

"And, what an abundance of those you have," Kaiba laughed. Shadi was certainly an intriguing fellow but he was far too stoic to be labeled charming. Kaiba supposed that it would be a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, but at least he knew people hated him. "Still, I know you said your work with the department was out of convenience, but aren't you supposed to figure out who murdered those people, help solve the case and catch the culprit. I'd prefer that myself"

Shadi did not respond for a long moment. "Are you sure about that? You won't like the answer."  
"So you already know what happened? Now, why isn't that surprising anymore?" Kaiba rolled his eyes. What could be worse than being on the hit list of a ridiculously strong homicidal boy and potentially being a target for a group of trained killers just for somehow surviving? He may not like the answer, but it's not like things could get much worse. He uneasily leaned away from Shadi. No, the situation was bad enough as was. "Yes, I want to know who did it, and for that matter, I want to know how you solved it so quickly, considering it just happened, and the other detectives seemed quite confused."

"It's not exactly subtle, so saying that one could solve it would be a bit of an overstatement. Anybody who has any idea how the world works would know what happened there. But, I suppose there is no point in delaying any longer; it is time for me to tell you." Shadi took a few steps forward, closing the gap that Kaiba had widened. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Kaiba gestured wildly outward in frustration, and his hand passed through the cool air where Shadi stood. "I said yes already."

Shadi again paused for a bit. "You asked earlier what you ate. Well, the remains of your meal would have been scattered around you when you woke up." What was he talking about? The only food that had been in the area was rotting in the garbage. "In fact, the hunger would have given you back control not too long after it had its fill, so it is likely you would have been facing the last thing you ate from." No, the thing he had been facing was a dead body. "Considering one of them had more of… your new food visible, I can guess which one it was you ate last." Kaiba's face contorted in confusion. Shadi wasn't making any sense or rather less sense than usual. Shadi looked at him and shook his head. "What did you think the holes were for? One set to puncture down to the food, another to maintain grip while you fed-"

"No!" Kaiba yelled, his voice echoing throughout the lobby. Arnold's footsteps started to approach. "That's impossible. Things like that don't exist. I could never..."

Shadi pursed his lips. "That's the truth, and its a truth you need to accept. Now are you going to call off your dog, or do we have to end this conversation here?"

"I don't see any reason to continue it with you spouting this nonsense." Kaiba scowled. He backed away from Shadi.

"Hence, me saving this for last." Shadi's form started to shift and bend, before specks started floating away like sand caught on the wind. His body- the hologram depicting his body- started to disintegrate. "My family would believe you too dangerous to exist. Please do not prove them right." After finishing those words the pace of the disintegration quickened and by the time Arnold and his _tuh-thub_ turned the corner, Shadi was gone.

"Oh, it seems like you're alright." Arnold looked at Kaiba then around like a lost puppy. "Where's the creepy guy?"

Kaiba stared at the space where he had seen Shadi a moment before. "Gone, though I don't think he was ever really here. Tell Jun Liu when he gets back to check to see if anyone tampered with the holographic projector systems."

"Huh, that would be weird," Arnold mused. "I mean, why go through all that trouble? What could they possibly accomplish? Showing something cool could at least be done for its own sake, but this?"

Kaiba shot Arnold a glare and started walking towards the main lobby. He did not want to engage in small talk with anyone let alone with a low-level security guard. As he passed by, he caught a whiff of Arnold's scent. He had before caught that the security guard was healthy, but now he could sense other overtones. There was something almost sore about the smell as if Arnold pushed himself too far, but it also reminded Kaiba of new growth and life. It drew him in for a moment, but then Kaiba shook his head. Focus. "Not as weird as half the nonsense that came out of his mouth. Is the driver ready to go?"

"Yes. He's waiting over there." Arnold gestured around the pillar of elevators to the main lobby.

When Kaiba rounded the corner though, he did not see his usual driver. "Isono, you do realize I have people I pay specifically to drive me places?"

That elicited a small chuckle, but it wasn't fullhearted. "Yes, but you've been missing for some time, and I gave specific instructions to be one of the first people contacted should you return. I hear you need to be taken to the hospital; are you ok? You do look a little sick."

"Better than I was earlier, but… I don't exactly feel like myself."

Isono nodded. "Jun Liu did mention you were attacked, and that you were a bit of a mess when you came back. Its only expected that you wouldn't feel your best. Have you been having any of your problems?"

Isono was one of the few people who knew about his hallucinations, one of the few people he trusted not to hold them against him. Numerous times Isono had been with him and stabilized him during an attack, guided him back to reality, and helped him ignore what wouldn't go away. "Yes. It was the worst right after my attacker knocked me out, and..." Kaiba glanced around and was glad to see that Arnold was still far away on the other side of the lobby. "I've been hearing things and smelling things that I shouldn't. There was a false tremor in the bathroom, and my reflection was dark, twisted, and not right."

Kaiba remembered the enlarged canines, the fangs, in the mirror, and he remembered Shadi's final comments. No, it couldn't be real. He passed his tongue across his teeth. It wasn't real.

Meanwhile, Isono nodded and closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them, and then Kaiba closed his eyes in an extended blink as well. The action was something small that Isono had come up with to remind Kaiba that he was there, especially because Kaiba did not like being touched during normal times let alone during the middle of a brainweird episode. Kaiba would return the gesture to acknowledge receiving it. During those seconds of darkness, Kaiba focused on the rhythmic thumping in Isono's chest. He knew he shouldn't be hearing it, but it comforted him anyways.

"Do you want to say what you have been hearing and smelling?"

Kaiba scoffed. "It doesn't deserve the words it would take to acknowledge it."

Isono hummed in affirmation and gestured at the large glass doors behind him. "Shall we go then? We will have time to discuss business and family on the way there." Isono passed him the reports that Arnold had brought down from his office.

"We will have plenty of time because we are headed to the Memorial Clinic," Isono shot Kaiba a questioning gaze as they both started to exit the building. "One of the detectives suggested I see somebody there, and while I am not inclined to believe him on everything, he made a few convincing arguments." Shadi was a superstitious crackpot, but he was at least a superstitious crackpot trying to help. Kaiba got the firm impression that he came from a whole family of hostile superstitious crackpots that were willing to act on their beliefs. So soon after being attacked by someone else, Kaiba decided to play it cautious.

As he walked toward the car parked outside, his thumb passed over the inside of his wrist.

They talked about many things on the way to the hospital. Mokuba had been given the past two days off of school because of Kaiba's disappearance, and though his brother had been attempting to hold it together, Isono could see that the waiting was getting to him. Stock prices had taken an immediate hit upon the announcement of Kaiba's disappearance, which was making the Big Five, who owned the majority of the stock not already in Kaiba's hands, antsy. The company had, however, been able to survive the past few days, the day to day operations carrying on without him. A few key projects had made progress and wanted his input, though Isono assured that the projects could wait until everything else settled.

Kaiba's mind drifted, and he asked about the what had happened with one of the previously completed projects. Isono still hadn't heard news of Industrial Illusions releasing a new game, though they had recently ordered the installation a large batch of the related hardware. A pity. The demo his team had worked with had actually been quite intriguing.

When they reached the hospital, Isono fiddled with the rearview mirror, and Kaiba saw his still horrible reflection shift and jiggle with the movement. "Is something wrong?"

Isono looked back at him for a moment before finally leaving the mirror be. "Nothing, sir. It's probably just a trick of the light."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : It took me four chapters but finally someone has uttered the v-word (Kaiba you know what he's talking about, you've even recognized the similarity before. You are allowed to put the word to the thought.)

Also, I am not planning on having a Trans Broken Arm Syndrome thing appear during the hospital visit. Dealing with that would be too real, and in any case, as I am not transitioning. I haven't had to deal as much with that sort of thing myself, and I do not feel like I would do the topic justice. However, I did think it was something important enough to acknowledge as something that Kaiba would be worried about and would want to take precautions against.

That said, Kaiba is going to find that there are other reasons now why hospital visits could go wrong.

I mention Kaiba starting hormones early since when looking up when hormones could be started I got a lot of info that at least in the US the recommended age is 16… which is around Kaiba's age now (If you look at AO3 this is where I mention "apparently zombiekaiba has a good post on ages here, and I am going primarily with anime conventions. Things are a little bit… out of order to make room for what I want to do, but I envision this happening at the start of 11th grade (so its April) and Kaiba is thus 16 years old and 6 months." But, the timeline is currently in a little bit of flux in order to get everything to line up, so I only have that Kaiba is somewhere between 16 and 16 and a half. I was going to wait until I got that figured out (hopefully soon), but then I figured that waiting to post this whole chapter for another week or so wasn't worth it).

Needless to say, the information regarding start times for hrt just got to me thinking about Kaiba's relation to hormones, and I realized that 1) when he knows he wants something (and even when he doesn't) he can be quite impatient. Methodical, but impatient, so he definitely would not like being told that he had to wait for something that he knew he wanted, especially with everyone else undergoing puberty without him. He would find that entirely unacceptable. I don't blame him. 2) He would have the resources to do something about it. That is going to be touched on in the next chapter in an interesting way.

Finally, the idea of hunters is not going to be picked up soon (beyond maybe you should keep this under wraps), but I do have an idea of how it would be picked up again if this continued onto the fifth arc. I'm not sure if I'll get there [that is a lot of story], but it does fit into things more broadly.

Always feel free to tell me if I need more content warnings.

 **Responses to Guest Reviews:**

Gothic Girl: Considering this is Kaiba, how do you think he will handle this? He's going to drag his feet as long as he can and make a bundle of poor life choices. Mokuba, however, is a little trooper and I love him. Things won't be perfect, they never are. But, he'll do a decent enough job with the information he has and will love his undead brother to the end of the earth.

CaptainUmaGreen: I'm not sure whether you were talking about fighting reality or fighting the hunger, but in either case, Kaiba is a stubborn fool. Breaking him will be hard. That is a part of what got us into this mess. But, as Shadi mentions being able to stubborn things out isn't always the best idea. Fight smarter not harder.


End file.
